Dubai. The land that has my brother,

my idol, my hero, my friend

a three hour flight

short yet so long

crossing boundaries

reuniting with the man who taught me

how to laugh, to fight, to be strong

once we shared the same roof

danced on every new song

played games, talked, even wrestled

mundane moments, filled with joy,

but now life has taken different paths

and he is miles apart.

Each flight is a rerun of memories

of stories, laughter, tears we shared

I flip through the movies on the cramped plane.

knowing exactly the ones he’d pick

I observe the people on board

like we always did,

I giggle at the inside jokes now never made

and wait for the wait to get over.

I land, the airport now familiar,

he is there, like always,

I rush into his loving arms,

I know I am grown now, a happy wife and doting mother,

but in this embrace, I am still a little child,

In this embrace, I am back home.